The Sickler’s Survivors Forum, TSSF Southeast has passionately called for a subsidized hospital bills and establishment sickle cell healthcare centers in Abia State and other States in the region to help alleviate the challenges faced by the sickle cell warriors.
Presenting an address during the inauguration of the Forum in Umuahia, the TSSF Southeast Vision Bearer, Amb. Victoria Akujuobi also appealed for monthly provision of routine drugs, nutritional supplements and education fund to the sickles.
“We are calling on Federal, State and Local Governments, companies, banks, organized private sector, doctors and nurses, barristers and individuals to please support this vision for the benefit of all the warriors. We need assistance based on our medication and nutritional supplement for all the sickle cell warriors in different local government areas in every state who can’t access healthcare centers.
We need to set programs every month in reaching out to these special beings because some of our parents don’t know how to take care of the warriors. “Most of the warriors today have fallen prey to pentazocine injection and also finds comfort in it, forgetting the side effects.
We want to be free and healthy like every normal person. Some are malnourished; they don’t know the right food and drugs to take. We really need the government to look into this matter appropriately and call for actions”.
Akujuobi who decried the state of one of their members, Master Stephen Munachiso Star Agwu whose hands were amputated and Miss Lucy, who the Forum lost to death because of ulcer in both legs, lamented that sicklers are special beings, being looked down on, with no friends, love, care, assistance, jobs and no drugs.
The TSSF Southeast Vision Bearer passionately appealed to Gov. Otti and the Organized Private Sector to create a pensionable 6 hours job employment for all warriors in any establishment. Speaking during the occasion, the wife of the Abia State Governor, Mrs Priscilla Otti, represented by Prof. Mrs Joy Iheukwumere harped on the need for individuals to know their genotype and blood group to help arrest the rise of sickle cell disease in the society.
While encouraging the sickles to take the right medications and nutritional supplements, Mrs Otti assured that her office will partner with TSSF to showcase their God’s given talents and sicklers receive adequate attention.
Also speaking, the President, Vision Africa International, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, who was also represented by the Chief Operating Officer of Vision Africa Radio, Barr. Saraphina Nwokenna highlighted some of the activities, outreaches and humanitarian services of Vision Africa International, which include the soon to be completed Agnes Onuoha Memorial Hospital also located in Abia State for the use of Children, Women and the elderly.
Bishop Onuoha who assured that Vision Africa International would find out better ways to program with the TSSF like it is presently doing with Persons with Disabilities, warned against not knowing one’s genotype before going into marriage. “Don’t be more spiritual than your Maker, do not intentionally go into a union, when you know you are mismatched”, Onuoha, who is also a Methodist Church Nigeria Bishop warned.
